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College Tribune | November 25th 2008
Features News
A hidden history of UCD Part three: Go ahead punk, make my day Sam McGrath reveals a little know tragedy that changed the face of Irish music, and took place on the steps of our very own restaurant... Sitting upstairs in the main canteen in Belfield today, it’s hard to imagine it as the scene of an event that altered the Irish music industry forever. In the summer of 1977, Belfield Canteen was host to Ireland’s first ever-Punk Festival. During the gig, a fight broke out in which an eighteen year old man was stabbed to death. The concert, billed as the ‘Belfield Festival’, saw the cream of the crop of Ireland’s emerging punk and new wave talent. Headlining were The Radiators from Space, a Dublin-based punk band fronted by Philip Chevron who later became lead guitarist with The Pogues. Their debut single Television Screen, released in April of that year made history by becoming the first punk single to make the Top Twenty anywhere in the world. Next on the bill were Derry’s power-pop Punk legends; The Undertones who released their classic hit Teenage Kicks a few months after the gig. Supporting were The Vipers, a Dublin punk and rhythm and blues who had supported The Clash in their second Irish visit. Brian Foley, the band’s bassist later joined Paul Cleary’s power pop, mod influenced Dublin group, The Blades. The next band on the line-up was Revolver, a prominent group on the late 1970s Dublin Punk scene. Their first demo, Bombscare Thoroughfare, was recorded in “a shopping centre in Crumlin”. Completing the line-up was The Gamblers, a group whose main claim to fame was that U2 supported them in The Project Arts Centre in May 1978. According to Mark Perry, music journalist and founder of the UK’s first punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue; “the show attracted over 600 fans – an unprecedented figure”. The Irish Times put the figure at closer to 800. Perry describes that ten minutes after the first band had started; a scuffle broke out in front of the stage, which, according to the Irish Times involved “about eight or nine people”. Michael Bradley, bassist from The Undertones, recalls that the fight was “over very quickly and the band played on”. Suddenly though, as Perry describes, “the news crawled out on all fours – somebody (had) been stabbed”. An ambulance was called which brought the injured man away. The show continued, albeit with a tenser atmosphere. Shortly before The Radiators from Space was due on stage, their guitarist was surrounded by four bouncers and bundled into the dressing room. Ru-
mours- abounded that guy who was 1968 The Year of the Barricades. stabbed was inarea arrested pretty bad way 1,000 students in Warandafter someone hadprotests. got the wrong saw anti-state The Uniimpression that isPete Holidai versity of Rome occupied forfrom two The Radiators had demonstrations. been involved weeks after anti-war in the students fight. After Three are“rough killed questionin Brazil ing”, he was allowed go on stage during marches againsttothe military with the band. people are injured junta. Eighty-six “I think that‘Battle was theoffiGrosvenor rst murder in the anti-war at a rockingigLondon. in the British Isles,” reSquare’ Martin Luther calls Irish singer Gavin Friday, King’s assassination sparks riotsthen in a member of punk group Virgin 118 American cities. InThe Chicago, Prunesand “But you know police protesters clashthe forwhole eight thing outside often teetered on the edge days the Democratic Naof violence. It gotStudents a bit fucked up tional Convention. take on in thetanks later inyears. At France some of the Soviet Prague. sees a gigs inrevolution Dublin you’d haveten people social with over milgoing crazy and in the crowd. mean lion workers students onI strike. theUCD, moshing andthe all spark that nowadays In we see of moveis chicken-piss compared to then. ment. It UCD was quite violent. Ineld town you’d purchased Belfi House in often get the shitand beaten out of1948 you December 1933 between because were of a punk. With The adjoining propand 1958 you a number Virginwith Prunes we’d goofallcreating out and erties the interest a wearcampus bondage trousers, make-up new Earlsfort Terrace were
and dresses - and get to killed for acquired. This waswe’d mainly reduce it. But the more whacks on the head the chronic over-crowding existent weEarlsfort got, the Terrace. more adventurous we in UCD’s student got. I mean, getting on the 19 little bus population had expanded from in Ballymun, dressed like we were, over 2,000 in 1939 to over 10,000 in you did getof some abuse.” 1969. Most these were in the halfDuringEarlsfort their set, the police arcompleted Terrace building, rived, even stationed cersfinished, at all exits which had itoffi been was of the canteen prevented only intended forand 1,000 students. the band an concerns encore. Itwere was As from earlyplaying as 1963, almostover threethe o’clock in the morning. raised planning of the move NoBelfi oneeld. in the to Thecrowd Irish was Timesallowed wrote to leave identifi cathat “thewithout prospectshowing of finding lodging tionstudents and getting searched. for (was) causing more and Theconcern five bands more ...The were area isall notforced one in into one dressing they which students willroom easilywhere find places gave written this to stay, since statements. most of theAt houses point,are word had gone around that there designed as family homes.’’ the victimbuilding was in awent critical condition However ahead and in in St. Vincent’s Hospital. Around an 1964 Science became the first fachourtolater newsto spread thatThe the Irish boy ulty relocate Belfield. had died; the police Times described theirfinally new allowed facilities the“severely band’s tofunctional” leave at 6.30am that as with “clean morning. spaciousness and a clever planning, Coultry, an eighteen year usePatrick of colour, relieving the eye of
old from Cabra in North Dublin suffered two stab wounds during the fracas. The boy who killed him was only seventeen and said in court where he was charged with manslaughter that he “panicked during the row as he felt he was going to get beat up”. He also admitted that he had drunk excessively that evening. The killing had an immediate effect on the music industry in Ireland. John Fisher, gig promoter at the time, remembers that before the stabbing, “gigs in Ireland were pretty simple affairs, really. They were run mostly by enthusiastic amateurs with very little security … after Belfield, it became more regulated, more professional and safer”. After the Punk Festival, the college authorities banned all gigs in Belfield for weeks after. This directly affected the Students Union who lost a much-needed income. The
Radiators from Space found their gigs cancelled by promoters all over the country. The tabloid press wrote sensational, often fabricated stories on the inherent violent nature of punk rock. For the musicians it proved to be long lasting emotional event as members of The Radiators from Space refused to talk about the night for years after and The Undertones, traumatised by the incident, didn’t play a gig outside the six counties for over eighteen months. As a result, music promoters found it much more difficult to organise gigs with the increased expenses of extra security and the personal insurance premiums. It was a tragic night that was formative in changing the face of the Irish music industry forever, just how many students sipping their coffee in the canteen know this? It’s true hidden history.